HEALTH & WELLNESS
Coming of Age as a Muslim American
Research during the past decade shows that Muslim youth are indeed thriving BY MADIHA TAHSEEN
T
he existential questions faced during adolescence by all youth, which become particularly important for Muslim American youth as they come of age in a heated sociopolitical environment, are “Who am I?” and "Where do I belong?" The questions "What helps Muslim youth thrive as they try to answer these questions and become the best version of themselves?" and "What promotes their healthy well-being and successful thriving?" have been of interest to the author for the past decade. These were dealt with in her dissertation study (conducted during 2013 through 2020) with Charissa Cheah, Merve Balkaya-Ince and The Family & Youth Institute (FYI). Although Muslim Americans are a heterogeneous group with varying backgrounds and experiences, the study focuses on immigrant-origin Muslim American youth (i.e., first or second-generation South Asian and Arabs) aged 14-22 years.
WHAT DOES MUSLIM YOUTH’S WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH LOOK LIKE?
Muslim youth are experiencing mental health challenges, such as anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, adjustment disorders and suicidal ideation (A. Basit & M. Hamid, “Mental health issues of Muslim Americans” The Journal of IMA, 42(3), 106– 110). However, Muslim youth also thrive and engage with their societies. Some of the factors impacting their mental health are shown in FYI’s Muslim Youth Mental Health Fact Sheet.
WHAT HELPS MUSLIM YOUTH THRIVE AND PROMOTES THEIR WELL-BEING?
The study, aimed at understanding the factors that promote youth’s well-being and thriving, focused on those identities that blossom during adolescence and their parents’ role during this stage. Various studies on high schoolers and college students consistently find that Muslim youth endorse dual identities, which indicates a strong sense of belonging to both Muslim and American cultures. Some of these are listed in the “References” section at the end of this article. Such a dual identity was associated 26
THE FAMILY IS A CENTRAL COMPONENT IN THE LIVES OF MUSLIMS, WITH A LOT OF DIVINE AS WELL AS PROPHETIC EMPHASIS AND GUIDANCE ON CREATING A HEALTHY FAMILY UNIT. with the highest level of well-being. In other words, youth who feel like they belong in their Muslim (mosque, friends, social circles) and American communities (school, non-Muslim friends, social circles) have greater well-being. Religious identity is protective. Interestingly, religious identity is protective for religious minority youth, similar to what others have found. A higher level
ISLAMIC HORIZONS JULY/AUGUST 2022
of Muslim identity was related to less externalizing problems (e.g., smoking, drinking; Balkaya et al., 2019). Experiencing discrimination does not significantly impact youth’s Muslim identity (Balkaya et al., 2019). In fact, a strong religious identity empowers them to be more engaged with their societies, especially in the face of discrimination. For instance, one of our studies revealed that Muslim youth who identify strongly with their religion in their daily lives are more likely to be civic-minded and engage in civic behaviors, such as volunteering, belonging to or donating money to nonprofit organizations and expressing their opinions on political issues (Balkaya-Ince, Cheah & Tahseen, 2020). These findings directly contradict all public narratives about how being actively Muslim pulls youth away from being American or contributing to American society. American identity is protective, too. In fact, youth who have a strong sense of religious identity may heighten their American identity to counter any Islam-based discrimination
